Definition of problem solving

4 min reading
3 min activity

Your phone breaks two days before an important call. Your payslip shows fewer hours than you worked. A letter arrives in a language you only half understand. Life in a new country is full of moments like these. This module is about handling them well, step by step.

In this lesson

Explain in simple words what a problem is and what problem solving means.
See why problem solving is a process, not one quick action.
Spot the real problems hidden in an ordinary week.

What is a problem?

A problem is a gap. On one side is the situation you are in now. On the other side is the situation you want. Between them is something that blocks the way, and you do not know yet how to get past it.

If you already know exactly what to do, it is not really a problem. It is a task: you just do it.

A task

You take the usual bus to work. You know the stop, the time and the ticket. You just go.

A problem

Your bus line is closed for three weeks. You do not know another route yet, and your shift starts at 6:00.

What is problem solving?

The OECD is an international organisation that measures adult skills in many countries. It describes problem solving like this: the ability to reach your goal in a changing situation, when the way to the solution is not clear at the start. It means you define the problem, search for information and try a solution.

So problem solving is not magic and not luck. It is a way of working: you find out what is really wrong, you look for options and help, you act, and you check if it worked.

A process, not a single action

Example

Leyla, 22, from Afghanistan, lives in Athens and works early mornings in a bakery. On Monday her phone stops working. On Wednesday a job agency will call her about a full-time job.

Leyla could react with one quick action: buy the cheapest new phone today with her rent money. Or she can treat it as a process:

Stop and think
"What do I really need?" Not a new phone. She needs to be reachable on Wednesday.
Look for options
Borrow an old phone for her SIM card. Email the agency with a friend's number. Ask the repair shop how long it takes.
Choose and act
She puts her SIM card in her cousin's old phone and sends the agency a short email.
Check
On Wednesday the call comes. Next week she can find out about the repair without stress.

The process took ten more minutes of thinking. It saved her rent money and her job chance.

Spot it in the text

Problems or tasks?

Required 20 XP

Leyla sends a voice message to her cousin. Some things she mentions are normal tasks. Some are real problems.

Try it this week

Write down three things that went wrong or felt difficult this week. For each one, ask: "Is this a task (I know what to do) or a problem (I do not know the way yet)?"

Problem: A gap between the situation now and the situation you want, when you do not know yet how to close it.
Task: Something you know how to do. You only need to do it.
Problem solving: A process: understand the problem, look for information and options, act, check the result.

In short

A problem is a gap between now and what you want, with no clear way yet.
Problem solving means defining the problem, finding information and options, acting and checking.
One quick action can make things worse. A short process often saves money, time and stress.

Sources

OECD (2024). Do Adults Have the Skills They Need to Thrive in a Changing World? Survey of Adult Skills 2023. OECD Publishing (definition of adaptive problem solving).